Buffalo began its partnership with the National Network for Safe Communities by attending Ceasefire University in January, 2015 and completed its problem analysis in December of that year. The team in Buffalo is being assembled in order to move forward with its Group Violence Intervention.
It was the first week of summer vacation, and Juan Rodriguez couldn’t wait to get outside to play with his friends on Humason Avenue.
But when he heard gunshots outside, the 11-year-old ran to the front door to get his younger siblings out of the line of fire. As he opened the door, a bullet from a high-powered rifle struck him between the eyes and went through his brain.
Miraculously, Juan survived.
But his life changed forever.
So did the lives of the other children on Humason, just like thousands of Buffalo schoolchildren who live on city streets where violence is a constant part of their lives.
This year started off with three homicides on Jan 1.
The shootings and killings have not abated more than two months later. Three people were slain in the first week of March.
In total, there have been 15 homicides so far in 2017, the deadliest start of a new year in at least a decade. But police say the spike does not necessarily mean 2017 will end as one of the deadliest years.
Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda cited gang violence, often propelled by drug disputes, and other arguments between rival gangs as the primary causes of the violence. Several killings are believed to be the result of a single dispute.
"Homicides run in cycles with spikes due to circumstances and different feuds on the streets," Derenda said. "The vast majority of these killings are not random acts but targeted."
